“Appalling”: Bright Osayi-Samuel slams referees following Nigeria’s AFCON exit

Nigeria defender Bright Osayi-Samuel was vocal in his criticism of the officiating after the Super Eagles exited at the semi-final stage from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Wednesday.

​The match, officiated by Ghanaian referee Daniel Laryea, saw the Super Eagles lose 2-4 in a penalty kick shootout to hosts Morocco following a goalless draw at the Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium in Rabat.

Éric Chelle’s side, which had gone unbeaten throughout the tournament until this stage, felt the discipline was “one-sided.” Notably, Nigerian players were the only ones cautioned during the match, and several penalty appeals for fouls on Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman were dismissed without VAR intervention.

​In his post-match press conference, Osayi-Samuel did not hold back, describing the officiating as “appalling.” He expressed that while Morocco is a strong side, the “wrong decisions” made by the referee at critical moments were painful to witness in such a high-stakes encounter.

“The referee was appalling, not saying that is why we lost. He made very wrong decisions, it’s really painful to see that we have refs like that in big games like this. But I wish Morocco all the best.”

Despite his frustration, the defender praised his teammates’ resilience, noting that the team and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board remained proud of their efforts. He described the shootout as a “lottery” that simply didn’t go their way.

“It was very painful to lose, the back four was amazing, I’m proud of the team, the manager came down and said he’s proud of the team, (NFF) board members came down and said they are proud of the team. It’s just really painful that we lost on penalties, that’s a game of lottery and today we didn’t win that.”

Bright Osayi-Samuel:
“The refereeing was appalling. It’s a big shame we still have officials like that today.”
— speaking after Nigeria’s loss to host Morocco in the AFCON 2025 semifinals.#AdemolaVictorAtAfcon2025
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— Dr. Victor Ademola (@AdemolaVictorTv) January 15, 2026

The Super Eagles’ quest for a fourth continental title has come to an end, but their tournament is not over. They will now travel to Casablanca to face Egypt in the third-place playoff on Saturday.